This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-248852, filed Sep. 2, 1999; and No. 11-324264, filed Nov. 15, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an improvement of a shield structure in the vicinity of the inlet of liquid crystal for a liquid crystal display device.
A typical color liquid crystal display device is provided with an array substrate on which a plurality of pixel electrodes are disposed in a matrix form, a counter substrate opposing to this array substrate, and liquid crystal material sandwiched between the array substrate and the counter substrate. A liquid crystal cell is obtained by bonding the outer edges of the array substrate and the counter substrate by means of an outer edge sealing member formed so as to leave a liquid crystal inlet, by injecting liquid crystal material into a liquid crystal storage space through this liquid crystal inlet, and by sealing the liquid crystal inlet by means of an inlet sealing material after having filled the space with liquid crystal material. Further, the array substrate includes a color filter covering the surface of the substrate completely and transmitting light having a color component allocated to each of said plurality of pixel electrodes, a shield pattern formed in the shield area surrounding the display area, and a plurality of spacers formed on this color filter for providing a liquid crystal storage space between the array substrate and the counter substrate. That is, the array substrate and the counter substrate are spaced from each other by the height of these spacers.
Hereupon, the shield pattern is formed of a metallic film material such as chromium (Cr) or molybdenum-tungsten (MoW) or a resin material to shield light passing through the shield area. In particular, the resin can be used also as color filter or spacer. In this case, the color filter is formed of colored resin layers colored green, blue and red respectively. The shield pattern and the spacers are formed respectively of colored resin layers colored black. With respect to the shield pattern and the spacers, black color layers superimposed on the color filter can be formed simultaneously by means of a common patterning treatment using photolithography method.
However, when the shield pattern is formed like this, the substantial space between the array substrate and the counter substrate is narrowed due to the thickness of the shield pattern, what makes it difficult to inject liquid crystal material. Therefore, there is a problem of not being capable of completing the injection of liquid crystal material in a short time.
Further, it is also conceivable to form the colored layer of the color filter in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet of a blue-black color layer and use it as shield pattern. Although this method makes it easier to inject liquid crystal material, however, it leads to a deteriorated appearance that blue light is observed partially outside the display area corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and has an object of providing a liquid crystal display device being capable of shortening the liquid crystal material injection time without deteriorating the appearance in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet.
According to the present invention, in a liquid crystal display device including a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal material sandwiched between the pair of substrates, a shield area disposed on the outer periphery of a display area, and an outer edge sealing member disposed on the further outer periphery than the shield area and formed except for the liquid crystal inlet, there is provided a liquid crystal display device, wherein a shield pattern comprising a resin of a predetermined thickness and a color filter thinner than the predetermined thickness coexist with each other on a plane in the shield area in the vicinity of the inlet.
According to this liquid crystal display device, since the color filter and the shield pattern are disposed so as to coexist on a plane in the shield area in the vicinity of the inlet, the liquid crystal injection path can be made larger than the case in which the shield area is covered only with the shield pattern. On the contrary, since the color of the color filter is not exposed wholly, the color of the color filter can be made quiet in this shield area. Therefore, the liquid crystal injection time can be shortened without deteriorating the appearance in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.